Source: United Nations (video statements)
Informal comments to the media by Dmitry Polyanskiy, the First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, on the situation in Georgia.
—
Responding, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, pointed to economic and people-to-people ties.
“Our trade turnover with Georgia is $2.5 billion – we’re the second trade partner of Georgia. We also had 1.5 million Russian tourists who visited Georgia last year,” he said, calling it evidence of a “clear desire of both our nations to re-establish mutual ties and to normalize our relations.”
Polyanskiy said some states sought to make Georgia “a pawn of their geopolitical interests,” and added that Moscow supported “the creation of a favorable security climate in the South Caucasus,” including treaties on non-aggression among Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.